I have tested every free PDF tool on the market. Most of them are not truly free. Smallpdf gives you two tasks per day. iLovePDF watermarks your files. Sejda limits you to three tasks per hour and 50 pages. PDF24 is free but requires a desktop install. And then there are the sketchy sites that ask for your email and then spam you forever.
Here is the honest ranking of the best free PDF tools in 2026. I have included my own tool (Truly Free PDF Tools) in this list. You can decide if I am biased. But I have used all of these tools personally, and I am telling you which ones actually work without hidden costs.
The Contenders: Real Free vs. Fake Free
Let me start with the worst offenders. Smallpdf is the most popular PDF tool online. Their free tier is a joke: two tasks per day, watermarks on compressed PDFs, and they store your files for 24 hours. Their paid plan is $108 to $144 per year. That is not "free." That is a trial.
iLovePDF is slightly better because their paid plan is cheaper ($48/year), but their free tier still has watermarks and a 20MB file size limit. Twenty megabytes is nothing. A single high-resolution photo in a PDF can hit 20MB. So their free tier is useless for anything beyond text documents.
Sejda is my favorite among the "freemium" tools because they do not add watermarks. But their free tier limits you to three tasks per hour, 50 pages per task, and 50MB per file. If you work with large PDFs, Sejda is unusable without paying. Their Web App plan is $7.50 a month.
PDF24 is genuinely free with no limits. I respect them. But it is desktop software. You download an installer. It works on Windows only (Mac users need a virtual machine). The interface is clunky and looks like it was designed in 2005. And it adds shortcuts to your start menu and context menus. Not a dealbreaker, but annoying.
Truly Free PDF Tools is browser-based, no installation, no limits, no watermarks, no account. The tradeoff is that we only offer five tools: compressor, merger, splitter, password remover, and image-to-PDF converter. We do not have a text editor, OCR, or PDF-to-Word conversion. But for the tools we have, we are the best free option.
How to Use the Best Free PDF Tools (Step by Step)
Here is how to accomplish the most common PDF tasks using Truly Free PDF Tools.
1. Compress a large PDF for email. Go to the PDF Compressor. Upload your file. Choose Medium compression. Download the compressed file. Original size 45MB → new size 12MB. No watermark. No daily limit.
2. Merge multiple PDFs into one. Go to the PDF Merger. Drag all your files into the upload area. Arrange them in the correct order. Click Merge. Download the combined PDF. Takes 5 seconds.
3. Split a PDF into separate pages. Go to the PDF Splitter. Upload your file. Choose "Split every page into separate PDFs." Download the ZIP file of individual pages. Great for teachers and presenters.
4. Remove a password from your own PDF. Go to the PDF Password Remover. Upload the locked file. Enter the password. Click Unlock. Download the unlocked PDF. The original stays protected.
5. Convert images to PDF. Go to the Image to PDF Converter. Select multiple JPGs or PNGs. Arrange them in order. Click Convert. Download a single PDF with one image per page. Perfect for scanning paper documents with your phone.
6. Combine these tools for advanced workflows. Example: You have a password-protected PDF that is too large for email. First, remove the password. Then compress the unlocked file. Then split out only the pages you need. All free, all local, no limits.
Why Truly Free PDF Tools Is Actually Free
I have said this before, but it bears repeating: the site runs on Google AdSense. You see ads on the homepage and on these blog articles. I get a few cents when you click them. That pays for hosting. I do not take a salary from this project. I have a separate business (Klickify Agency) that pays my bills.
The reason I can keep it free while Smallpdf charges $108 a year is overhead. Smallpdf has dozens of employees, a sales team, and venture capital investors demanding returns. I have none of that. I am a solo developer building tools in my spare time because I enjoy it and because I think the PDF tool market is broken.
Privacy is the other advantage. Because all tools run locally using WebAssembly, your files never leave your computer. Smallpdf uploads every file to their AWS servers. iLovePDF stores your files for 24 hours. Adobe's online tools keep your files for 30 days. I do not store anything because there is nowhere to store it. The code runs in your browser and then disappears when you close the tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the absolute best free PDF tool for compression?
For unlimited compression with no watermark, Truly Free PDF Tools is the best. For desktop users who want more control, PDF24 is also excellent. Smallpdf and iLovePDF are not truly free. Avoid them.
Which free PDF tool has no file size limits?
Truly Free PDF Tools and PDF24. PDF24 is desktop-only. My tool is browser-based. Both have no artificial limits. Sejda has a 50MB limit. iLovePDF has a 20MB limit on free tier.
Can I edit text in a PDF for free?
No free tool does text editing well. PDFs are not designed to be edited. If you need to change text, use LibreOffice Draw (free desktop software) or upload to Google Docs (which converts PDF to an editable document but loses formatting). I do not offer text editing because I cannot do it reliably without server-side processing, which would violate my privacy promise.
Is there a free PDF tool that works on iPhone?
Yes. Truly Free PDF Tools works in Safari on iPhone. PDF24 does not work on iPhone because it is Windows-only. Smallpdf works on iPhone but has the same two-task daily limit. My tool has no limits and runs locally, so it works even in airplane mode after the page loads.
Why does everyone recommend Smallpdf when it is not free?
Because Smallpdf spends millions on SEO and advertising. They rank first on Google for "free PDF tools" even though they are not free. Most people do not realize the limits until they hit them. Then they either pay or bounce. It is a classic freemium funnel. I do not have a marketing budget, so I rely on honest reviews like this one.
Will you ever add more tools like PDF to Word or OCR?
Maybe. PDF to Word conversion requires complex text reflow algorithms that are hard to run locally. OCR (optical character recognition) is even harder — it requires machine learning models. I am investigating open-source solutions that run in the browser. If I can do it without sending your files to a server, I will add them. If not, I will not compromise on privacy.
Try the tools yourself. Compress a file. Merge two files. Split a file. No signup, no watermark, no limits. If you find a better free PDF tool, email me at info@klickifyagency.com. I want to know.
